Wire-fence stay



Patented June 15 1 16 1&-

Attorney.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH E. EATON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. v

WIRE-FENCE STAY.

Application filed May 16, 1919.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JosnPH E. EATON, a citizen of the United States of America, and a resident of the city of San Francisco, in the county of Alameda, in the State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVire-Fence Stays, whereof the following is a specification.

This invention relates to wire fence stays which are disposed between the fence posts and serve as intermediate supports for the fence wires.

In certain sections of country where wood is scarce and lumber expensive, the cost of wire fence stays for ranch or farm fences is a burdensome item for the farm or ranch owner. Moreover stays composed entirely of metal are expensive in construction and transportation and those composed of concrete are too "costly of labor and time.

The object of this invention is to provide a wire fence stay combining the properties of nominal first cost, lightness of weight for transit and facility of embodiment in the fence by unskilled labor in such manner as to firmly hold the fence wires and constitute a substantial part of the fence.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of a wire fence embodying this improved wire fence stay.

Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of a stay embodying this invention in its preferred form.

Fig. 8 represents on an enlarged scale a longitudinal section of a fragment of the stay showing a connection thereof with fence wires.

Fig. 4. represents a plan View of a sheet metal blank from which the base of the stay is formed.

Fig. 5 represents a fragment of the stay at the bottom thereof, showing the side opposite that shown in Fig. 2.

The same reference numbers indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

This stay may be applied to any wire fence to which it is adapted. The drawings illustrate a fragment of a wire fence comprising fence posts A and B and fence wires 0.

A stay 10 embodying this invention is connected with the fence wires C at points between the fence posts A and B, the base 20 of the picket resting on the surface of the ground.

This composite stay 10 comprises a wooden bar 11, a struck-out sheet metal plate 15 dis- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 15, 1920.

Serial No. 297,446.

posed on the front face of said bar and a bolt a series of recesses 12 and bolt holes 13 dis- 3 posed at frequent intervals. The recesses 12 are sunk inward from the front face of the bar and the bolt holes 13 extend from the bottoms of said recesses to the rear face of the bar. These bolt holes are preferably located at the lower arc of said recesses. The metal plate 15 is struck-out from sheet metal and substantially corresponds in width and length with the wooden bar 11. This struck-out sheet metal plate is provided with a series of holes 16 adapted to register with the recesses 13 of the bar 11. The bar 11 and plate 15 are also preferably provided with two or more registering bolt holes 14 through which bolts 17 are passed for uniting said parts and with a bolt hole 18 for connection thereof with the base.

Bolts 30 adapted to fit the bolt holes 13 are provided with hooked heads 31 adapted to engage the fence wires and draw and crimp them within the registering holes 16 and recesses 12 and with nuts 32 engaging their screwthreaded shanks 33.

A base 20 is connected with the lower end of the composite body l1l5 and constitutes the foot of the stay, being adapted to rest on the ground. This base in the form of embodiment herein shown is formed from a struck-out sheet metal blank 21 of the form shown in Fig. 4:. This blank consists of an elongated foot-plate 22, a truncated wedgeshaped extension 23 disposed at one side thereof and a pointed extension 28 disposed at the opposite side thereof. This wedge shaped extension 23 comprises a rectangular central portion and lateral wings 24; and 25 having bolt holes 26 and 27 respectively. The wedgeshaped extension 23 is bent at right angles to the foot-plate 22 on the dotted line a, which is substantially in alinement with a long edge of said plate, and the wings 24c and 25 are bent at right angles to said central portion on the lines I), 0, respectively. When so bent said central portion c0nstitutes the upright front of the base 20 and said wings constitute the sides thereof. The pointed extension 28 is bent up at right angles to the foot-plate 22 on the dotted line (Z. A skeleton base is thus formed which is readily attached to the composite stay body by means of a bolt 19 passing through the bolt holes 26 and 27 of the wings and bolt hole 18 of said composite body, and by band ing the point 29 of the pointed extension 28 to horizontal position and driving it into the box 11 at the rear face thereof. The footplate is preferably bent downward at its opposite ends, forming flanges which engage the ground.

In applying the stays to the Wire fence, they are set upright at points between the fence posts A and B. Bolts 30 having hooked heads 31 are passed through the holes 16 of the plate and through the recesses 12 and holes 13 of the bar 11, the hooked heads 31 engaging the fence Wires. Nuts 32 accompanied, by Washers are placed on the rearwardly projecting screwthreaded shanks 33 of the bolts and turned until the hooked heads 31 are drawn into the recesses 16-12 of the stay, said hooked heads operating to crimp and draw the fence Wire into said recesses and thereby lock the Wires and stays together, the stays being thus maintained in upright position and the Wires properly spaced in horizontal position. 7

This composite stay may be made in quantities and distributed to the users at a minimumof cost. The Wooden body 11 consists of a strip of cheap lumber and the 7 oration.

therein simultaneously by machine. The struck-out sheet metal plate 15 is stamped with a series of'registe'ring holes at one op- The metal plate 15 is readily united with the bar 11 by the bolts 17. The base struck from sheet metal is also inexpensive. The parts may be easily and quickly assembled and applied to the fence Without the aid of a skilled mechanic.

I claim as my invention. 7

A composite fence stay comprising a wooden bar having a series of recesses sunk at intervals along one face and transverse bolt holes extending from the bottoms of said recesses to itsother face, a struck-out metal plate adapted to cover the recessed face of said bar and provided With a series of holes adapted to register With said recesses, and bolts adapted to said bolt holes and provided with hooked heads adapted to engage. and crimp fence wires within said registering holes and recesses and With nuts at their tail ends adapted to hold the parts together.

JOSEPH E. EATON.

Witnesses:

FRANK CHASE SoMEs, I GERTRUDE BQRNET. 

